Here, a single lemon is placed at the center, connected by lines to many other kinds of lemons: a photograph of a lemon, a dream of a lemon, a memory of a lemon, a drawing of a lemon, and so on. Only the unnamed lemon at the center represents an actual lemon. The surrounding lemons are products of memory, impressions, images, and language.
When we hear the word “lemon,” we do not think only of the fruit itself. We also recall photographs we have seen, memories of its taste, and experiences associated with it. This work suggests that our understanding of a thing does not exist in isolation, but is formed through connections among many different memories and images. Like the neural networks of the brain, countless fragments of information become connected, forming our perceptions, memories, and understanding of the world.